4 Essential Items to Include on Your Design Business Website

A design business website is an essential aspect of building an online presence. This website will be a main outlet for attracting new clients and building a network with other designers.

Great design business websites include certain essential details that provide insight into the services designers provide and the client reputations they’ve cultivated. If you hope to portray the best possible online image, you must include these website details in a logical and easy-to-follow format. The following are four essential items to include on your design business website when building an online presence.

Client References

Typically, when potential clients consider using your design services, they want to know what previous clients have to say about your work. By including client references on your design business website, you’ll offer a quick snapshot of the design reputation you’ve built to show potential clients the value you can bring to their upcoming projects.

An effective and easy method of listing client references is by obtaining quotes from current clients regarding their satisfaction with the work you’ve completed. These quotes can then be listed on your website’s homepage for all to see. You can also include a text blurb instructing potential clients to contact you for a client reference list.

Your Best Samples

To build a successful design business, you must be willing to showcase your best work. Your website is typically the best venue for showcasing this work because it’ll become a high traffic area. Often, designers include graphics of their design work on their website homepages as well as a portfolio page to reel in new clients.

One mistake design newbies often make is including examples of all work on their website’s portfolio page. While you may be eager to show others your skills, don’t go overboard. Your portfolio section should only include a prime few examples of your best work to avoid overwhelming visitors.

Professional Credentials

If you possess a design degree or belong to professional design associations, your website is the ideal venue to showcase these credentials. The more credentials you can list, the more professional you will appear to potential clients. Be sure to list credentials in an easy-to-read format so visitors can easily scan the details. Regularly update this section, removing associations to which you no longer belong and adding the ones you’ve recently joined.

Honesty

Every aspect of your design business website must be honest. Never include false information, such as making claims of completing projects that weren’t yours or claiming to be a member of design associations to which you have no affiliation. Honesty is the name of the game when attracting new clients and false information will be discovered and will majorly damage your design reputation.

A well-designed website shows the work you produce and the reputation you’ve earned in an instant. It’s also honest regarding the services you provide and the previous projects you’ve completed. While, in the beginning days, you may not be able to include all of these items, such as client references, they can be added overtime as your experience expands. By including the essentials on your design business website, you’ll build a strong online reputation and, as a result, will likely experience increased business success.